Game Day: Desperate times for Canucks in Montreal to face Habs

As a measure of how desperate these final pre-Olympic days are for the Vancouver Canucks, coach John Tortorella was on the ice today for the morning skate and Canuck captain Henrik Sedin wasn't. Sedin won't be on the ice again before the Olympics – and possibly not in Sochi, either, with Team Sweden – as Tortorella announced the Canucks would “shut him down” due to a troublesome rib injury. Boston Bruins defenceman Zdeno Chara, right, pushes against Vancouver Canucks centre Henrik Sedin to keep him from getting position near the goal.

Photograph by: Elise Amendola
, AP

MONTREAL – As a measure of how desperate these final pre-Olympic days are for the Vancouver Canucks, coach John Tortorella was on the ice today for the morning skate and Canuck captain Henrik Sedin wasn't.

Sedin won't be on the ice again before the Olympics – and not in Sochi, either, with Team Sweden – as Tortorella announced the Canucks would “shut him down” due to a troublesome rib injury.

There is a two-man cavalry riding in to help the National Hockey League team, which has lost five straight games and have been beset by injuries, as forwards Chris Higgins and Brad Richardson return to the lineup against the Montreal Canadiens.

But Tortorella's bombshell about removing Sedin from the lineup overshadowed all the storylines for tonight, including a showdown in net between Canadian Olympians Roberto Luongo and Carey Price.

“I have a tremendous amount of respect for him as far as what he tried to do,” Tortorella said of Sedin playing through pain in two games this week. “But it's gotten to the point where he's not as effective as we want him to be and sooner or later, you're going to put him at risk. So we needed to do this.”

Clearly in pain, Sedin went pointless with no shots on net during losses in Detroit and Boston. He missed the Canucks' six previous games after getting cross-checked in the ribs by Phoenix Coyotes Martin Hanzal on Jan. 16.

Sedin was not made available to the media today but remains with the team, which is on its worst five-game slide since 1999.

Sedin made a statement which was released by the Canucks Thursday afternoon:

"I'm disappointed not to be physically able to represent my country at the Winter Olympic Games. This is a difficult decision but ultimately the best decision for me personally, Team Sweden and the Vancouver Canucks. I wish my teammates the best and look forward to returning to play."

The crisis led Tortorella to run the Canucks' game-day skate for the first time this season. Until today, Tortorella left the morning skate to his assistant coaches.

“I didn't see them yesterday, so I kind of missed them,” Tortorella said, referring to the team's day off on Wednesday. Later, he explained with the tension surrounding the team he wanted to be with the players on the ice.

The decision to remove Sedin from the lineup is causing tension in Sweden and Russia, where the Olympic hockey tournament starts next week.

“I'll tell you right now: Do I want him to go? Absolutely not,” Tortorella said. “I'm thinking about our hockey club. But I am not having a conversation with him about that; that is his call. That's your country. He's going to have to work that out with his family and let us know what he wants to do.”

Team Canada defenceman Dan Hamhuis, injured Monday in Detroit, will miss a second straight game tonight. But Hamhuis is expected to practise Friday in Toronto and play Saturday against the Maple Leafs, then travel with the Canucks' other Olympians to Sochi.

Even with Higgins and Richardson, the Canucks will be without seven injured players tonight against a Canadiens team not long removed from its own four-game losing streak. The Canadiens, backstopped by Anahim Lake's Price, have scored two of fewer goals six times in eight games.

The Canucks have hit the same low barrier 17 times in 22 games, which is why tonight's game could turn into a duel between Luongo and Price, candidates to start for Canada next week.

Tortorella met with Luongo on Wednesday after the goalie said Tuesday's 3-1 loss to the Bruins was “100 per cent on me.”

“He wants the game; he wants to help this team through some of the things going on,” Tortorella said. “I think he's going to be really good. I had a one-on-one conversation with him yesterday and he's ready to play.

“We're not worried about Sochi, we're worried about winning one hockey game. We haven't done it in quite a while. Sochi has not come into any conversation. We're dying on the vine; we need to just play the right way and try to find a way to win.”

After struggling through most of January, Price has allowed only four goals in his last four starts. Luongo has allowed 14 goals in his last four games, three of them losses.

“We have a lot of injuries,” Luongo said. “It's not going to be a pretty win when we get it. It's going to take a huge effort from everybody, myself included. I do put a lot of pressure on myself. I want to be the one to help us get out of it.

“I'm not worried about next week or what can happen down the road. I think it's important for me to keep my focus on the game tonight.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Canucks – Former Canadien defenceman Raphael Diaz has had this game circled on his calendar for three hole days – since the trade. He led the Canucks with 25:26 of ice time in his debut.

Canadiens – After one of the worst spells of his career, goalie Carey Price is suddenly back on top of his game in time to challenge Roberto Luongo for Team Canada's starting job at the Olympics.

As a measure of how desperate these final pre-Olympic days are for the Vancouver Canucks, coach John Tortorella was on the ice today for the morning skate and Canuck captain Henrik Sedin wasn't. Sedin won't be on the ice again before the Olympics – and possibly not in Sochi, either, with Team Sweden – as Tortorella announced the Canucks would “shut him down” due to a troublesome rib injury. Boston Bruins defenceman Zdeno Chara, right, pushes against Vancouver Canucks centre Henrik Sedin to keep him from getting position near the goal.

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